1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to cartons, and more particularly to a carton for holding an active material and controllably releasing it to the air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are a variety of active materials for use in household and commercial applications which it is desirable to contact with and release into the ambient air. Among these are insecticides and air fresheners which can be packaged in solid form in containers having air passages which permit release. Frequently, products of this type are packaged in containers having a plurality of openings which are closed at the time of purchase but which are opened at the time of use to allow room air to circulate over the surface of the solid active material.
In one type of carton, the openings are covered with a panel of release paper. When the consumer is ready to use the product, such as an air freshener, the release paper is peeled from the face of the container to allow room air to begin circulating through the openings. In another type of carton, the consumer activates the air freshener material by squeezing to release an encapsulated active ingredient. In yet another type of carton, holes in an outer carton wall are opened or closed by a slidable inner sheet which acts as a valve.
Molded plastic containers, usually consisting of a molded shell and a separate molded cover, have been employed to hold air freshener material. However, while molded plastic containers have an aesthetically pleasing appearance, the cost of making them is higher than might be desired. The shell and cover must be molded in separate operations and stored in unassembled form until the air freshener insert is loaded. The cover then must be glued or otherwise secured to the shell to provide a closed container. The extra time required for the separate manufacturing and assembly operations results in added manufacturing costs for the package and ultimately for the product sold therein. The fact that the molded shells and covers must be shipped and stored in their molded form will also cause increased transportation and storage costs.
In a prior patent application, U.S. Ser. No. 25,012 filed Mar. 29, 1979 entitled "Carton with Adjustable Air Passages", assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, an improved package for controllably releasing active materials to the air is disclosed which has inner and outer slidable members constructed of a sheet material wherein the inner and outer members can be slidably moved between open and closed positions. The carton has a plurality of adjustable air passages and comprises: (a) a first tapered sleeve forming an outer carton unit, said first sleeve being closed at at least one end and having a plurality of spaced openings therein; and (b) a second tapered sleeve forming an inner carton unit, said second sleeve being nested within said first sleeve and being slidable between a first position and a second position, said second sleeve being closed at at least the end opposite said end closed in said first sleeve and having a plurality of spaced openings therein arranged complementarily to said spaced openings in said outer carton unit to align with the openings therein when said inner carton unit is in said first position, and to align with the spaces between said openings in said outer carton unit when said inner carton unit is in said second position.
When the openings are aligned, they permit air to circulate through the openings into the interior of the inner carton unit to permit the release or diffusion of material housed within the inner unit to the air. The tapered sleeves normally bind when moved relative to each other to preclude disassembly and when the openings are out of alignment, the diffuser is inoperative, as the openings in the inner unit are closed.